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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25854055">Hero of the Wilds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuRedwings/pseuds/RyuRedwings'>RyuRedwings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Friendship, Implied Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Original Character(s), Sheikah Culture, following the game, sheikah oc, zelda oc - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:29:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25854055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuRedwings/pseuds/RyuRedwings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Who tells your story when you’re gone?<br/>Rika’s family have been the historians of Hyrule for centuries, recording the lives and feats of heroes for posterity, but she has no desire to chase after the ancient tales of Hyrule. In fact, she feels that what she has to deal with in the present day is more then enough. She is content to live her life in Kakariko with her grandmother and their house crammed full of recovered texts. Then Link, the long awaited hero, suddenly reappears, and Rika finds herself called on to record his journey, just as the many recorders before her. As she follows Link on his quest, she finds that she must make a more difficult choice then she thought she ever would: to have hope.</p><p>This is yet another fic that follows the storyline of the game. Please enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hero of the Wilds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Well, hi there! Welcome to the story that's been almost 3 years in the making. I put it off for so long because I didn't think it would be fair to start another multi-chapter story when I hadn't even finished the other one, but then realized I was using the unfinished work as an excuse not to do this. And I think Rika's story has waited long enough.<br/>Also if I don't finish this before the next game comes out, who knows how much of the lore I'll need to make up for this might get demolished by it so HERE WE GO.<br/>A very important note: I HAVE THE BARE MINIMUM OF ZELDA KNOWLEDGE. Be kind to me as I slowly piece together some bits of lore to make this readable.</p><p>If you've read my other BOTW fic, "Family History," you may already know that this story ends well. But the fun part is finding out how Rika and company get there, so please enjoy my take on the story of Breath of the Wild! I promise that it will be worth it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You have no control:<br/>
Who lives<br/>
Who dies<br/>
Who tells your story</p><p> </p><p>The forest outside of Kakariko Village didn't have a name.<br/>
Rika sometimes wondered if it could even be called a proper forest. It was more like a cluster of dense trees that the rolling hills and steep mountains that hid Kakariko hadn't been able to snuff out. The only place of real note that could give a name to anything was the abandoned fairy fountain in the middle of it that had been taken over by a monstrous plant. It towered over everything, and the sheltered grove it sat in was the closest thing to a real chunk of woods nearby. She didn't even dare look at the area for too long when she passed by; it stank of loss and the beginnings of something starting to rot. It was too bad all the magic had drained or else it would be a pretty place, and sometimes when she did pause to look, it felt like something was weakly tugging at her shirt. She felt sorry for whatever had used to live there.<br/>
There were stories about a Great Fairy that watched over Kakariko, but given the state of the fountain, Rika highly doubted she lived there anymore. She knew better then to go exploring as well, despite the brief touches of things she felt calling to her in the forest. Chasing after the dying magic of Hyrule only brought trouble.<br/>
In terms of a real, proper forest, Rika felt that she would most likely have to venture all the way to Lanayru Road and past Rabia Valley. But that was something else she would never do either. Bravery was a nice sentiment, but she preferred the safety of the boundaries set up by word of mouth and the careful mothers of the village. She didn't care how big of a buck she had been stalking; if they went out past the mental marker she had put down for herself, she would let it go. She was a good marksman, but bokoblins on horseback weren’t part of what she could bring home to make for dinner. Going out past her usual haunts invited danger she didn’t want to deal with, and she had no intention of ever tangling with the danger outside of Kakariko’s boundaries.<br/>
Today had been a great haul though. Rika took her time walking the ridge that separated the path to the abandoned fairy fountain and the shortcut to Lanaryu Road, the rabbits she had caught idly hitting her thigh as she walked. She had seen a few does out near the forest’s edge, but rabbit stew had been more interesting to her. The dried venison she had from the last one still had a ways to go before she and her grandmother devoured it on their own anyway, and venison every night was starting to get old. Koko had begun digging up her mother’s recipes; maybe she could ask her if there was anything in there to help bolster her own repertoire... Her family was definitely a clan of writers and librarians, not cooks, and their lack of variety in the kitchen was proof of it sometimes.<br/>
Grandma Luna’s idea of cooking was “something edible,” and while Rika had worked to expand her abilities past meat and vegetables, she considered practicality before taste when things were tight. Koko’s mother had given her a few pointers though, but more resources could never hurt. Maybe she could copy the recipes down and add them to the library… It would be a nice way to remember her.<br/>
A streak of blue zipped across the path, and Rika ducked behind a tree. She carefully peeked out from behind it, and wasn’t disappointed to see the familiar, glowing rabbit-like form of a blupee. The little guys were everywhere in the woods, which she found a little odd since it wasn’t like people dropped a lot of rupees around the village, and she sometimes wondered if they were responsible for the few spare greens that would go missing once in awhile. Either way, coming upon one was a great way to add a bit more cash to the savings she kept around for emergencies.<br/>
She quickly strung her bow, and aimed for the little blue creature, hardly making a sound. She watched for a moment, waiting for it to have it’s back turned. It had stopped to inspect a clump of mushrooms almost three feet in front of her, and then decided to sit and groom it’s strange, moth-like ears. Rika stayed completely still.<br/>
Come on, come on, little guy, just turn around…<br/>
“RIIIIKAAAAA-!!”<br/>
The blupee squeaked, startled by the shout, and ran off into the forest.<br/>
Rika stood up with a curse, and ran to the end of the deer path. She could see Paya looking for her, nervously edging her way down the path before the fork.<br/>
Rika shook her head with a sigh.<br/>
“Paya! You’re gonna scare off every bit of game out here for miles shouting like that!” she called to her.<br/>
“Oh!” Paya jumped at her shout, squeaking like the blupee she had just scared off.<br/>
Rika jumped down from the ridge above, landing right in front of her. She put her hands on her hips.<br/>
“What’s the big idea? I had a blupee lined up and everything!” she said.<br/>
Paya cringed, wringing her hands. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know!” she said. “But-but I really need you to come with me! Your grandma’s all upset, and she’s over at my house! I think she’s gonna try and beat up the guards if they don’t let her in!”<br/>
“Oh no, not again!”<br/>
Rika took off, followed by Paya right behind her as they ran down the hillside. The grass was wet from the rainstorm they had had not fifteen minutes ago, and she tried her best to keep her balance as she ran down the steep hill back into the village.<br/>
“What’s got her all bent out of shape now?!” she asked as they skipped over the rocks set into the path. “Did Cado’s darn cuccos get into the library again?”<br/>
“Well, uh, there’s something else-! Um-!!” Paya skidded around the corner on the grass, trying to keep up with Rika’s quick pace. “C-can you slow down a bit? It-it’s hard to talk and run after you at the suh-same time-!”<br/>
Rika slowed down, almost slipping and falling backwards like Paya almost had behind her. “Sorry!! I just- If we don’t hurry I’m afraid she’ll break her arm even more than it already is,” she said, pausing to let her friend catch up.<br/>
She quickly grabbed Paya’s arm as she slid next to her, Paya wobbling on the slick grass, and Rika picked a slower pace as they went past the armor shop.<br/>
“Last time it took me two weeks to put it back together again, and I’m still waiting on some parts from Robbie,” said Rika. She let go of her once Paya regained her balance. “It’s not like she can’t survive without it, but it sure does help her not go stir-crazy.”<br/>
Rika waved to the guards, easily seeing them from the middle of the village, but didn’t see her grandmother anywhere. She could feel the knot starting in her stomach that usually came before something bad happened, and quickly jogged up to them. She heard Paya saying something behind her, but made a beeline for Cado and Dorian instead.<br/>
“Where’s my grandma? Paya said she was trying to pick a fight again,” she asked, glancing around. She couldn’t hear her grandmother raising a ruckus, but that didn’t mean much of anything sometimes.<br/>
“She’s already inside with Elder Impa,” Cado explained, jerking his thumb behind him.<br/>
Rika’s jaw dropped. “And you didn’t stop her?!” she said, incredulous. “What if she’s meeting with someone important?!”<br/>
Dorian opened his mouth to protest, putting his hands up in defense. “Well, I mean, she is, but-!”<br/>
“Oh for Din’s sake, some guards you are!!” she snapped, pushing past them and running up the stairs. “Can’t even stop a one-armed old lady-!!”<br/>
“Wait, Rika-!”<br/>
She ignored them, dashing up the stairs before anyone could catch her. Sometimes it felt like she was the only person in the whole village who could wrangle her grandmother, and she had no intention on getting yet another lecture from Elder Impa about propriety and respect of other people’s privacy. She knew she wasn’t exactly her grandmother’s babysitter, she was a grown woman who had survived the Calamity after all and could take care of herself, but she was still well over 100 years old. Without anyone else around, it was her responsibility to make sure Grandma Luna didn’t hurt herself or anyone else, which seemed to be the larger danger a majority of the time, and make sure their tiny home remained in one piece.<br/>
Rika threw open the front door, expecting to see her grandmother and Impa to be arguing like Calamity Ganon was on their doorstep, and they couldn’t decide the best way to stall him.<br/>
“Elder Impa, I am so sorry-!!”<br/>
She froze in the doorway when she saw nothing at all like she had thought. The room was quiet, her grandmother standing while Elder Impa sat in her usual spot, and a boy she didn’t recognize sat directly in front of her on the floor. All three of them had turned to stare at her the moment she had burst in. Rika stepped back, suddenly feeling as if she had walked into something that wasn’t meant for her, and the painful awareness of how she still had all of her hunting gear on, a string of rabbits on her hip included, flooded her head. The shame and embarrassment prickled the back of her neck, and the tips of her fingers.<br/>
“I, uh…” She swallowed, and looked to her grandmother.<br/>
Grandma Luna put her hand on her hip, her semi-broken metal arm only half copying the movement of the other, and waiting to see what she had to say.<br/>
Paya finally caught up to her again, and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her towards the stairs to her room.<br/>
“I am so sorry-!!” she said, walking Rika up with her before she could wriggle away. “We’ll just, uh, be up here!”<br/>
Rika turned to ask what was going on, but Paya shoved her up the stairs, shaking her head at her. They reached the top and Paya quickly danced over to her bed, her black eyes bright with excitement.<br/>
“Did you see him?!” she asked quickly, smiling. “Isn’t it exciting?! He’s just how I pictured he’d be!!”<br/>
Rika blinked, confused, and followed her further into her room. She didn’t know what was going on downstairs, but she thought it best for the two of them to try and keep it down. She put her hands up, making a shushing motion to try and calm Paya down.<br/>
“See who?” she said. She glanced back towards the stairs. “Things seem kinda serious…”<br/>
“The hero!” Paya said. “That’s Link, the hero of Hyrule!”<br/>
“What?!”<br/>
Rika quickly went back to the stairs, and crouched down, looking between the railing and trying to get a better look at the boy she had seen when she had walked in. Impa and her grandmother were still talking amongst each other. He hadn’t moved an inch from where he was, watching Impa attentively. He barely looked older than she was, his clear blue eyes bright with interest, and dressed in… Honestly, it looked like he had picked up some abandoned clothes on the road, but at least he was dressed.<br/>
“That’s him...?” Rika said, barely containing her disbelief. “Mr. Blank Face and Needs a Haircut?! That’s the hero?!”<br/>
“Isn’t he amazing?” Paya gushed. She was in her own world, oblivious to Rika’s incredulity. “He looks so gallant and handsome! Just like a real hero should…”<br/>
Paya trailed off as Rika turned to look back at her, and took a step back in confusion. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Rika look like she did now, her expression a mixture of intense frustration, bitterness, and something she couldn’t place. Something was wrong though.<br/>
Paya stepped towards her.<br/>
“R-Rika? Are you alright…?” she asked.<br/>
Rika stood up from looking down into the room through the stairs. Paya felt as if she was looking at a pile of stormclouds in the distance, heavy with lightning and thunder, but too far for her to hear.<br/>
“I have to go,” said Rika, heading for the stairs and avoiding her concerned look. “I need to get this stuff home.”<br/>
“B-but-!”<br/>
“Rika.”<br/>
Rika stopped where she was.<br/>
Elder Impa’s low, measured voice could be heard even all the way in Paya’s room at the top of the house. She looked back to Paya, confused, but she only shrugged at her, not knowing why Impa was calling for her.<br/>
“Come down here, please.”<br/>
Rika’s stomach was practically twisting itself inside out, the knot tightening even more, and she wanted to follow her instincts and find a way out of the house. You couldn't exactly run from Elder Impa in her own home though. She took a deep breath, and carefully walked down the stairs.<br/>
She got to the landing, feeling like she could hear every single creak of the floorboards as she stepped on them, and stood in front of Impa, trying to ignore the crushing silence. The twisting in her stomach was only getting worse, and it felt like a wave of chaos was trembling just behind her, ready to crash into her and sweep her away.<br/>
Elder Impa regarded her with her usual stare; serious and proud with a hint of unpredictability. Sometimes she could be surprisingly kind and playful, joking with her grandmother with ease, but Rika didn't think that would show itself now.<br/>
She was definitely in trouble.<br/>
“No doubt you’ve already figured out who our young guest is,” said Impa, gesturing towards Link, who still sat in front of her.<br/>
Rika glanced at him, avoiding his curious gaze, and immediately looked back to Impa, nodding her head.<br/>
“Yes,” she said.<br/>
“Good,” said Impa. The elderly woman drew herself up as straight as she could on her pillow, the blades attached to her large hat jingling as she did. Usually Rika would appreciate the sound, but everything felt like it was bearing down on her with an impossible weight that made her want to run for her life.<br/>
“Rika. Your family has served the royal family of Hyrule as their record keepers for centuries, recording the genealogy and stories of heroes and royalty for posterity,” she said. She gestured to Link again. “Link is the last hero of Hyrule, and our only hope left in these dark times. It is your duty to follow him and record his adventure, so that it may stand the test of time like those that came before him. You must follow him until the task that faces him is completed, or we all perish under the Calamity.”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
The entire world seemed to pause. Rika could feel her grandmother staring at her from the left. Impa blinked at her, not saying anything except for raising her eyebrows in surprise.<br/>
“...I’m sorry?” she said, seeming to wonder if she had misheard her.<br/>
“I said no,” said Rika.<br/>
Grandmother Luna took a step towards her.<br/>
“Rika, this isn’t something you can say yes or no to,” she started, but Rika was already shaking her head and backing away from them all. “This is what our family does, it’s what we’ve always done-!”<br/>
“I won’t!!” Rika snarled, making her grandmother almost jump at the sudden ferocity.<br/>
Rika turned on Link, teeth bared and shaking with a barely held back rage. The boy leaned away from her, his blue eyes wide with both confusion and anxiety.<br/>
“I will NEVER go ANYWHERE with YOU!!” she roared at him, waving her arms in the air. Rika’s rage shook the house, making the pillars creak with her shouts as she bore down on Link as if she was going to tear him apart with her bare hands. “You’re the reason we’re in this mess to begin with!! What kind of hero leaves their whole country to rot for 100 years?! The world’s ending in practically a month and you show up NOW?! You can go to hell and take your damned quest with you!! I won’t go an INCH with you!!”<br/>
“RIKA!!” Grandmother Luna was next to her, grabbing her arm. “That’s enough!! What’s the matter with you?!”<br/>
Rika yanked her arm away, and sprang back towards the door, breathing hard. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and it felt like the edges of her vision were going dark from how quickly everything in her had burst at once. She could still barely even look at the boy, who had jumped up once she was done with her tirade with his hands up, as if he was going to start to try and explain himself. She hated every inch of him. She hated how young he looked and how he was almost her height, and she absolutely loathed the confusion and hurt on his face. It felt like someone was twisting a knife in her guts, and she couldn’t stop them.<br/>
She had to get out of here.<br/>
“I won’t do it!!” she panted, backing away from them all. “And you can’t make me!! You can’t!!”<br/>
She turned around, and wrenched the doors open, yanking them so hard she felt like she nearly pulled the muscles in her arms.<br/>
“Rika!!”<br/>
Her grandmother called after her, but she ignored her, leaping down the stairs and running as fast she could away from the house. She could hear Impa shouting for her now too, and she closed her eyes, trying not to hear her, and not feel the small spurts of rain that were falling on her face as she ran as quickly as she could out of the village, heading back into the forest.</p><p>The rain turned the trees into a blue-green haze of water and young underbrush, and overflowed the barely drained puddles and streams from that morning’s rainstorm. Its mellow drumming drowned out any sounds that weren’t louder than a deer crashing through the brush, but even that was rare due to the steady deluge. Everything had hunkered down to wait out the weather.<br/>
Rika didn’t even know that Paya had found her until she realized the tree was shaking more erratically than a squirrel or something else would cause. She didn’t move from her perch on one of the branches, and didn’t say anything when her friend sat down next to her on the next closest branch. Her favorite tree in the not-forest was gigantic, with wide, reaching limbs that could seat two or three people across, but Paya always knew when to give her some space.<br/>
A few minutes of silence passed, the rain hitting the canopy the only sound between them.<br/>
Paya flattened the hem on her tunic, and took a deep breath as she looked out at the horizon. The view from Rika’s tree looked out over the valley; you could see the whole village and the beginnings of Hyrule Field, along with the castle in the far off distance. A week ago, it would have been a pretty view with the ruins, but now… Strings of purple and red miasma swirled around the high towers and a sharp, red light gleamed from the windows in short bursts.<br/>
Paya looked back to Rika, who was hunched against the tree trunk with her arms wrapped around her knees and her head pressed against them. She leaned back, looking up at the gray sky, and continued to wait for her friend to speak. It didn’t usually take very long when she finally managed to track her down.<br/>
A few more minutes passed…<br/>
“I can’t believe them...” Rika grumbled into her arms, her voice muffled.<br/>
Paya quietly braced herself, knowing what was coming. Rika’s temper was like a bomb; once her frustration ate up the fuse, she exploded.<br/>
“I can’t BELIEVE they said that TO ME!!” Rika cried, finally looking up from her knees as she screamed.<br/>
Her cry was dampened by the rain and the leaves around them, but it still reverberated in the tree trunk. Paya cringed as she heard a dozen or so animals flee the safety of the branches. Rika dropped her arms to her side in a defeated huff. For a moment, it looked like she was finished, but then she started again, her hands flying everywhere as she talked.<br/>
“‘It’s your family duty?!’ ‘This isn’t something you can say yes or no to?!’ Then why did they even ask?!” she raged. “They weren’t even asking me to do anything, they were just like, ‘Oh she’ll say yes because she has to because it’s her family duty!!!’”<br/>
Rika mimicked her grandmother in the most ridiculous way she could while still looking furious.<br/>
“Like I don’t even have a choice, I just have to do it because I’m supposed to?! They didn’t even think about what I want or what I’m doing, they just expect me to drop everything to help the guy that put us all in this mess to begin with?! It doesn’t even matter, we’re all gonna be dead soon anyway!! Why should I help him?!”<br/>
Rika panted, trying to catch her breath from her tirade, and folded her arms, flopping against the tree trunk. Paya drummed her fingers on her legs, unsure of what to say. This wasn’t as easy to diffuse as a fight between Rika and Luna, or when she would get worked up over something that had happened in the village. It went deeper then both her own grandmother and Luna forgetting about Rika’s strong free will. Helping the hero of Hyrule struck them all in a different way, and with Rika… She knew it hit her worst scars.<br/>
Paya bit her lip. “He… Really needs help though,” she said, edging into what she hoped was a good idea.<br/>
“Yeah, well, he should've thought of that before he doomed us all,” Rika snapped, glaring darkly at the castle in the distance. “He’s the damn hero, he can take care of himself.”<br/>
“It’s a bit… More complicated than that,” Paya said, rubbing the back of her neck.<br/>
Rika looked at her, narrowing her eyes in suspicion at her tone. “What do you mean?”<br/>
“He… It seems like… He has no memories,” said Paya, fiddling with her fingers. “When he came into the house, he didn’t know who Grandma was…”<br/>
“Not for nothing, but I’m willing to bet she looked crazy different a hundred years ago,” said Rika, restraining the urge to roll her eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal he didn’t recognize her.”<br/>
“No, it wasn’t like that it, was… Like he had actually forgotten who she was,” she said. “And when Grandma talked with him a little bit more, uh, well, I-I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but, um… I-It seems as if all of his memories are… Gone.”<br/>
Rika stared at her in disbelief. “Gone?” she repeated.<br/>
“Gone.”<br/>
Rika’s fury seemed to have paused because all she could do was stare at her friend, and then dragged her hands down her face with a groan. She ran her fingers through her bangs, pinning them against her head while she looked up at the sky helplessly.<br/>
“Ohhhhh goddesses preserve us…” she groaned. “We really are all doomed.”<br/>
“Grandma thinks it has something to do with being in the shrine for so long,” Paya continued. “So, it’s probably not permanent. I mean, he made it all the way out here by himself, so I don’t think he’s that bad off.”<br/>
“So then why does she want me to go with him at all…” Rika grumbled, taking up her previous position by hugging her knees and glowering at the castle in the distance.<br/>
Paya gave her a brief, exasperated look. “Because he’s all alone, Rika! With no memories!” she said. She touched her friend’s shoulder. “Come on, you’re not heartless. You really want him to just go off all alone with no one to help him?”<br/>
Rika shook her hand off, and gently pushed it back to her, grumbling.<br/>
“Hey, you said so yourself, he made it all the way here by himself. He was the best knight in the kingdom a hundred years ago, Paya, I think he’ll be fine without a stupid record keeper.” she said.<br/>
“Rika…”<br/>
It was Paya’s turn to sit quietly for a moment.<br/>
“...I know you’ve got your reasons for not wanting much to do with him,” she said. “And you’re right, he’s plenty capable of handling himself, but… It feels cruel to just toss him out there without any help until he gets more of himself back together. Grandma wants to send him to Aunt Purah in Hateno and that’s at least four days journey on foot from here.”<br/>
“What’s she want to send him to Auntie Purah for?” Rika asked, tilting her head in question. Sending him to Hateno seemed a little strange considering it didn’t have much to do with saving Hyrule, unless Impa hoped he could learn something about old Sheikah technology from her that could be useful.<br/>
“There’s something wrong with the Sheikah slate, it’s not working like it should,” said Paya with another cringe.<br/>
“He broke the Sheikah slate?!”<br/>
“No, no!!” Paya quickly waved her hands. “It… It’s probably just a little bit like him. It just sat for too long, and it needs some of it’s functions restored, that’s all. Grandma’s pretty sure Aunt Purah can fix it.”<br/>
“Mmm…” Rika nodded her head, and then went back to staring off into the distance.<br/>
The red light shined in the castle windows again like a dire lighthouse, and she put her head down. Her stomach had finally stopped churning, but now something was digging its heels into her chest that she couldn’t shove away. It came back in an instant every time she tried, making her grind her teeth, and want to snap at Paya to go away and leave her alone. The boy would be fine on his own, and he certainly didn’t need her help. She had her own problems to deal with.<br/>
Paya nervously drummed her fingers on her legs again, biting her lip.<br/>
“...Rika, are you… Are you sure you couldn’t just go with him to Hateno?” she tentatively asked.<br/>
“Absolutely not,” Rika said into her knees.<br/>
“But… Don’t you need something from her anyway? Your grandma’s arm has been broken for almost three weeks now,” she said.<br/>
Rika lifted her head. “The part I need is coming from Robbie, and it’ll get here when it gets here,” she said with finality.<br/>
Even if she did want to admit that Robbie didn’t usually take this long, and Grandma Luna was starting to get antsy without her other arm being fully functional. Auntie Purah could have a few spare screws… Rika shook her head at herself.<br/>
“No, no, I’ll just… It’s fine,” she said to Paya, who was starting to look both skeptical and a little worried. “I’ll just keep waiting for Robbie, I’m sure Purah doesn’t have anything I could use anyway. She’s into the Guidance stones, not Guardian parts.”<br/>
Paya folded her arms at her, starting to frown and sounding like her patience was wearing thin. “Rika.”<br/>
“What?! I really can’t go with him!!” Rika said, throwing her hands up. “I’m serious, I’m not just being stupid or something!! My grandma’s 120 years old, you think I can just up and leave her for a week all by herself?!”<br/>
“Isn’t Cado your neighbor? You could just ask him to check in on her every day,” Paya said, gesturing back to the village.<br/>
Rika gave her a look that could wither the entirety of Olkin’s pumpkin patch.<br/>
“Cado has literally lost his Cukoo’s three times in the last two weeks,” she said. “They’re already out today, I had to chase one out of my kitchen this morning! Again!”<br/>
“Okay, okay, you’re right, he might not be the best person…” Paya relented, and thought again.<br/>
“What about Dorian? I’m sure Luna would love seeing Koko and Cottla so much while you’re gone,”<br/>
Rika shook her head.<br/>
“Dorian can barely take care of himself right now, are you kidding me?” she said, although with less derision then the suggestion of Cado. She looked worriedly at the ground for a moment as she thought of the bereaved father. “I mean, I don’t even think he’s sleeping in his house anymore… Koko’s been taking care of Cottla this whole time, not him.”<br/>
The two girls went quiet for a moment, the sadness over the tiny family seeping into the conversation. Paya fiddled with her fingers for a moment, and then looked up, her black eyes lighting up with an idea.<br/>
“Oh! I could-!” She suddenly stopped, and frowned, drooping. “Wait, no, no I can’t…” she said, disappointed.<br/>
Rika folded her arms, and leaned back against the tree.<br/>
“See? I told you, it’s just me,” she said. “There’s nobody left that can help me even if I needed it. Everybody’s already busy, dead, or…” Rika gestured off towards the horizon with a dejected look.<br/>
Paya sighed, and leaned back against the tree. She closed her eyes, listening to the rain fall around them. She had always liked the sound of the rain, the soothing sound helping her center herself when she felt needed it the most, and tried to use the calm to help herself think. She didn’t want to leave Rika without a solution of some kind, even if it was just to help her help Grandma Luna, and not encourage her to accompany Link on his journey like she had hoped.<br/>
“...You still need those parts though,” she murmured, thinking hard on what to do.<br/>
Rika shrugged. “It’s… Like I said, it’s fine. I’ll just keep waiting for Robbie,” she said, trying to brush Paya’s worry off. “Those screws and stuff will get here eventually.”<br/>
Paya pressed her lips together, frowning down at the tree branch. She shook her head, and turned to her friend.<br/>
“What if your grandmother stayed with us?” she said. “Then I could help her and Grandma at the same time, and then she’d have some company on top of that.”<br/>
“And get her away from all of her books? I think she’d rather nail herself to the bookshelves then leave the house for a week,” Rika sighed. “You know how she is about leaving the house for too long and leaving the library unattended. It’s like she’s afraid someone’s gonna come and make off with everything in there.”<br/>
“I could go with her when she goes over there to work,” Paya said, determined. “She’ll need help getting stuff down anyway without her other arm. What do you think?”<br/>
“What about your daily prayers and looking after the statues?” Rika asked. “I don’t want you to just toss your daily stuff out the window to help me, I know it’s important to you.”<br/>
Paya gave Rika a smile. “I think I can take a break for a week or so if helps you get what you need,” she said. “It’s not like I can’t get up early and do my prayers then, anyway. Trust me, I can work around sitting with your grandmother while she works on her books while you get what you need from Purah.”<br/>
Rika stared at her for a moment, and then narrowed her eyes in slight confusion.<br/>
“...You’re not trying to talk me into going with Link?” she said, almost not wanting to believe it. “You just want me to go get what I can from Purah?”<br/>
She was honestly surprised. She knew how Paya held the heroes of the past in high esteem, and had always been the most eager for the hero of Hyrule to return, just as her grandmother had always told her. She prayed the hardest for the bleak days of Ganon’s curse to finally to be lifted, and hoped the most for a brighter future. Rika’s hope had been dashed on the rocks of the stark reality they lived in over a decade ago, but not Paya’s. She knew how much Link’s success meant to her. Her friend most likely wanted her to go, and yet was only encouraging her and offering her help for what she knew she was most concerned about.<br/>
Paya hesitated before answering.<br/>
“Like I said, I know you’ve got your reasons,” she said anxiously. “And… I do think you should do it, but it’s your decision. But if you wanted me to try and talk you into it, I think…” She paused, and took a deep breath, looking Rika in the eyes.<br/>
“I think out of everyone here, who’s our age and can go out and do anything to try and… To try and stave off that darkness that we’ve been fighting for so long, I think you’re the best person to leave the village and do something about it,” she said. She gestured towards the village. “Claree makes armor, I pray, and you… I know your grandmother wants you to be his record keeper, but I really think you could do a bit more if you got out there with him. I’m not sure what, but it has to start with you finally leaving this place and finding out for yourself.”<br/>
Rika stared at her again, the anger and stubbornness gone from her face, and replaced by quiet fear and uncertainty. She blinked rapidly, and turned from her again, putting her head against her knees. Paya reached her hand out, the sudden change making her worry.<br/>
“I wish… I wish I could see things like you,” Rika’s voice was barely audible above the rain. Paya inched closer to her. “...I’m scared.”<br/>
Rika looked up from her knees, her gaze going over the valley and on towards the castle. Paya put an arm around her shoulders.<br/>
“People leave here, and all they get is death,” she said, closing her eyes. Her chest hurt, something squeezing her heart so hard she wondered if it would be crushed and bleed through to her shirt. “My parents, your parents… I don’t even know if…” Her voice cracked, and she tucked her head back down again.<br/>
She felt Paya rubbing her back, and followed the small weight of her hand as she pulled herself away from the gaping hole she could feel trying to pull her in. Leaving the borders of the village had always terrified her, and after the caravan her and Paya’s parents had been in was utterly destroyed by a Guardian, tearing everyone apart except for one poor soul, she never wanted to leave. The world was dangerous and cruel, and she wanted nothing to do with it after it had snatched her whole family out of her hands. She was content making sure the history of Hyrule and her grandmother were safe here in Kakariko.<br/>
And here she was, being asked to go out into it and help the person she wanted to hate so badly for letting the world fall into ruin, and watch him set everything right. She wanted to blame Link for anything and everything, but it almost physically hurt to try and talk herself into it. It wasn’t his fault; it was that monster in the castle’s fault for turning everything against them. Elder Impa’s and her own grandmother’s stories told her that he had done everything he could to try and stop the end of the world alongside the princess. But it was so much easier to hate him and the fear she was being forced to look at then accept what she was being asked to do.<br/>
“What if I don’t come back?” she said, finally looking back up at her friend.<br/>
Paya frowned, looking like she wanted to be angry but it wasn’t coming across very well. In her case, it looked like more of an upset pout at being disappointed.<br/>
“Well, then I’ll be very upset with L-Link then if he couldn’t protect you for one measly trip back and forth to Hateno! I think I’d finally agree with you about it being the end of the world if that’s all he’s capable of,” she said, folding her arms in determination.<br/>
Rika wiped at her eyes, and weakly laughed at Paya’s declaration. “Yeah… That would be pretty terrible if he couldn’t even keep me out of trouble,” she said, and gave her friend a tiny smile.<br/>
“Oh, I don’t know, you’re quite the challenge with that,” Paya said, grinning at her.<br/>
Rika gently pushed her. “Pfft, shut up!”<br/>
Paya smiled at her, the rain beginning to slow behind her, and Rika gave her a small smile back. She looked back out towards the valley with a sigh, the smile vanishing as her brow knit back together in frustration.<br/>
“...It’s going to be really hard to convince my grandmother that I’m not going with him permanently,” she said, already dreading the argument she knew was going to come. Her grandmother was the most stubborn person she knew, and this could be the mother of all shouting matches between the two of them.<br/>
This wasn’t trying to get Grandma Luna to take it easy and stop tossing her pain medicine into the pond out back when she wasn’t looking, this was about their family’s legacy. It was already hanging by one, frayed strand that, unfortunately, only had her name on it. The hope that Link would one day appear, and that their family’s traditions could continue, was one of the few things she knew kept her grandmother hanging onto her ancient life with a white-knuckled grip. That, and spite.<br/>
Her family’s role in Hyrule’s history had been drilled into Rika’s mind and body since the day she could hold a pencil as she was trained in the art of writing, recording, and copying. Her grandmother had made her read and copy every ancient record and book she had collected over the last 100 years by the time she was 12. Just like when she had been told she was going to accompany Link on his journey, her being a record keeper was not a yes or no question; it was to be done without any question at all. She didn’t resent it though. On the contrary, Rika was very proud of her writing and drawing skills. She knew she was very lucky to have them, and her grandmother had always taught her with love and room to grow into her talents.<br/>
But the deep, dark well of desperation that haunted Grandma Luna’s movements and nearly obsessive protection of her library didn’t give Rika a good feeling about her chances to convince her that she was only going with Link to Hateno and back. She would either need to find some way to maneuver around her, or convince her that this was all she could do.<br/>
Rika sighed, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten once again, and stood up.<br/>
“Well, might as well get this over with,” she sighed, as she started to climb down. “Maybe if I’m lucky, she’ll break her arm all the way while she’s throwing a fit, and then I’ll have more proof to show her that I need help from  Auntie Purah.”<br/>
Paya started to follow her down, carefully making her way from branch to branch.<br/>
“L-let’s head to my place first… I think grandma would appreciate knowing what you plan on doing. Maybe she can help with Grandma Luna too,” she said. “I hope she says yes to her staying with us while you’re away!”<br/>
Rika let go of the tree once she was close enough to the ground, the ground crunching underneath her feet. She waited for Paya to get close enough, and then helped her down, giving her a hand.<br/>
“If she wants hero boy to get to Hateno, she better say yes!”<br/>
“Rika…” Paya sighed, for what felt like the fiftieth time that day.<br/>
The rain had tapered off enough that it was only a light mist as they headed back down to the village as quickly and quietly as they could. Paya reassured her that her grandmother had stormed off back to her house, and wasn’t there anymore, but Rika was still nervous. The last thing she wanted was for someone to see her and tell her grandmother where she was before they could even begin to enact their plan.<br/>
Paya opened the double doors, walking into the house, and Rika meekly followed after her, grabbing her hand without thinking. The knot in her stomach had turned into a swarm of butterflies, and she was afraid the fear was too clear on her face. She really hoped that this would work.<br/>
Paya waved to Elder Impa, who had only tilted her head at the two of them coming back through her door, and Rika quickly ducked her head behind Paya, not wanting to make eye contact. Link was still there, and back in the seat he had been in the first time she had arrived. She didn’t feel like looking at him yet either.<br/>
Without saying anything, Paya slipped from Rika’s grasp, and quickly walked across the room, heading towards the kitchen. Rika froze like one of the deer she routinely hunted, trying to process why she was leaving.<br/>
“Why don’t I go make us some tea?” Paya said. She turned and motioned for Rika to start speaking up once she was at the kitchen door.<br/>
Rika didn’t move. Paya had just dumped her to do this all by herself, with no warning. She thought she was going to pass out.<br/>
“So…”<br/>
Elder Impa’s low voice snapped her out of whatever panic response she was having, and Rika finally looked over in her direction. The elderly woman regarded her with the same, serious expression she always did, but if she didn’t know better, she could swear there was a ghost of a smile on Elder Impa’s  lips as she looked at her.<br/>
“You’ve returned,” she said.<br/>
The words hung heavy in the air. Rika took a deep breath, and drew herself up, standing tall. She walked over, and took a seat on one of the many pillows before the elder, two pillows away from Link. She could feel him looking at her as she sat down, but still didn’t return his gaze.<br/>
“Yes,” she said. She looked up at Elder Impa. “But not for what you think.”<br/>
Elder Impa raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”<br/>
“I can’t in good conscience leave my grandmother all by herself when I am her sole caretaker. My grandmother is a strong and stubborn woman, but even you had to admit, she needs me here with her for her own safety.” she said. Rika looked down at her hands on her knees. “My family’s legacy may be to care for Hyrule’s history, but I will not abandon my duty to care for her in order to uphold it.”<br/>
“I see…”<br/>
Elder Impa leaned forward on her pillows, looking down at her like she had since Rika was a child.<br/>
“What is it that you plan to do then? I don’t think you came here just to tell me that,” she said.<br/>
Rika finally glanced over towards Link. He was watching her with interest and curiosity, but seemed to be keeping a respectful distance even in doing that. He almost seemed a little bit afraid of her.<br/>
She looked back to Elder Impa, strengthening her resolve.<br/>
“I’ll go with him to Hateno, but that’s all I can do. I’ve been waiting on Robbie to sending me the parts to fix my grandmother’s arm for almost a month now, and I can’t wait to fix it any longer. I need to go see Auntie Purah to see if she can help me,” she explained. “I might as well go with him if I have to. But… I was hoping she could stay with you to make sure she’s safe.”<br/>
Elder Impa stared down at her for a moment, and Rika feared that she would say no. Impa took a deep breath, and then sighed, looking a little defeated by her request.<br/>
“You certainly know how to drive a hard bargain,” she sighed. “Your family has always been good at that as well… Yes, I suppose Luna may stay with us until you return from Hateno. She will be in good hands here.”<br/>
Rika quickly bowed, deep and low. The relief spread through her so fast she thought she might pass out again for a totally different reason. She had been feeling like that a lot today.<br/>
“Thank you so much, Elder. I’ll do my best to return quickly.”<br/>
“Not too fast, I hope. Link has much to do in Hateno, and I won’t have him be rushed for our sake,”<br/>
Rika sat back up, confused.<br/>
“What do you mean…?” she asked, unsure. What could Auntie Purah possibly need Link to do? She didn’t even know he was coming, or at least she was pretty sure she wouldn’t.<br/>
“If I know my sister, she’ll have plenty for the both of you to do in return for fixing the Sheikah slate, as well as giving you the materials to fix Luna’s arm. She wouldn’t do either for free,” said Impa, almost looking like she might laugh a little at her own explanation.<br/>
“The tea’s ready~!”<br/>
Rika looked up to see Paya walking out of the kitchen with a tray set with a steaming kettle and several cups. She served Elder Impa first, and then went over to Link. Rika almost got up and took the  tray from her, hearing, and seeing, the cups clatter as Paya’s hands shook so badly, she was afraid she’d either break all the cups or drop the whole tray in Link’s lap. She didn’t though, and then finally came over to Rika, looking visibly relieved. She had half a mind to grumble at her for abandoning her to talk to Elder Impa all by herself, but she thought that serving tea to Link was probably punishment enough. She knew how much young men tended to fluster her.<br/>
Paya sat down next to Rika, and finally served herself. There was a brief moment of silence as everyone started on their tea.<br/>
“I suppose that settles that then,” said Elder Impa after her first sip. She looked down at Link, setting her cup down. “Link, head over to Luna’s house, and ask her to gather Rika’s supplies for a trip to Hateno. It’s the house next to the Goddess pond with the blue door.”<br/>
Rika put her cup down. “W-wait, I can get my own things-!” she protested.<br/>
Link had already started to get up, but paused as he looked from Elder Impa to her, and back again, hesitating. Impa picked her cup back up, gently shaking her head at Rika.<br/>
“Nonsense. You and I both know you won’t get out of that house for three hours,” she said, waving her off. “This will be much faster. Off you go, Link.”<br/>
Link finished straightening up, gave Elder Impa a polite bow and nod, and then headed for the door. He gave a small wave and a smile to Rika as he passed by.<br/>
“I’ll be right back!” he said cheerfully.<br/>
Rika just blinked at him. He had a voice she wasn’t expecting; clear, young, and friendly. There was a restless energy behind it too, like he was ready to run headfirst into the unknown at a moments notice.  She glanced over at Paya, who was still staring at the now closed door with a wistful expression.<br/>
Rika looked up at Elder Impa, mildly concerned. Her grandmother could be about as cantankerous as a 100 year old mule, and she knew how badly the conversation between her and Rika could go if Elder Impa had sent her instead of Link. But sending him in her stead almost seemed cruel. How did they know Grandmother Luna wouldn’t just throw him out of the house?<br/>
She opened her mouth to ask what the elder was thinking, but Impa held up a hand.<br/>
“Finish your tea,” she commanded. “You’ll see. Paya, dear, why don’t you go to the kitchen and get those delightful almond cookies you made the other day? I assure you, Link will come back hungry.”<br/>
Rika stared at her for another second, and then picked up her tea, doing as she was told. She was starting to get the distinct feeling that Elder Impa knew something that she didn’t, and she wasn’t sure how to ask about it. Or even attempt to ask anything at all. The elder could be… Strange like that sometimes.<br/>
About two cups of tea later, interspersed with the almond cookies, Rika turned as she heard the double doors open once more. Link walked in, a bag she recognized as hers slung over his shoulder, as well as a pumpkin tucked under one of his arms, and a few cuckoo feathers in his hair. She quickly looked back to Elder Impa, the bewilderment clear on her face. Impa just smiled at her over the rim of her cup.<br/>
“I told you,” she said, and took a sip. She looked over to Link when she was finished.<br/>
“You’re as dependable as ever, I see. Good work. You and Rika should be all set to head out for Hateno before nightfall now.”<br/>
Link walked over to Rika, and held out her bag. She stared at it for a moment, still not sure what in Hyrule was happening, and then looked up at him. It was the first time she had really taken a look at him. He had an open, honest face, almost like his voice, and large, blue eye set in sharp features. She grabbed her bag from him, looking down at it in disbelief.<br/>
“How… Did you get this so easily…?” she asked him, suspicious.<br/>
Link shrugged. “I asked,” he said.<br/>
She stared at him again for a full 30 seconds, and then looked over at Elder Impa, finally throwing one of her hands up in exasperation. She had no idea what was going on anymore. She knew the hero of Hyrule was supposed to be a little bit different, or at least that’s what tradition said, but this hadn’t been what she expected at all. Impa only smiled at her, ignoring her incredulity.<br/>
“He’s always been very good at this sort of thing,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”<br/>
“D-don’t worry…?” Rika sputtered.<br/>
She dragged a hand across her face, and then turned back to face Link. She was already beginning to regret ever coming back into Elder Impa’s house. This entire trip was going to be ridiculous. She could feel it in every fiber of her being. But if this was what she needed to do to get the supplies to fix Grandmother Luna’s busted arm, and satisfy the legacy of her family, then she supposed she had no choice. All she had to do was survive a week long trip to Hateno and back.<br/>
“Come on, Mr. Hero, let’s get this over with.” she sighed.<br/>
She slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed for the door. Link followed after her, turning to wave goodbye at Elder Impa and Paya, and Rika did the same.<br/>
Paya enthusiastically waved back. “Good luck! Come back soon!”<br/>
Rika gave her a withering look, and opened the double doors. She sincerely hoped that everything would at least be okay on this trip.</p>
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